Tough stocking decision for 59G FOWLR

[Helms Reef]

I currently have a 3ft X 18 X 22 70G w sump tank. Open concept rock work. Sand substrate.
I have a pair of young clowns and a long nose hawk fish. Which are all great. I really want a peaceful tank. I'm looking for a centerpiece fish. I was hoping a small butterfly would work. I was also thinking of adding a flame hawk as I love the personalities.
Any ideas on what to add with some color or any other fish suggestions?

 

[BigAquaBob]

Wrasses are always an awesome choice! Might be a little tough with that size and you will need a lid. But they are super active and colorful

 

[Jekyl]

Mandarin dragonet

 

[EvanDeVita]

I am a wrasse lover, so here are some of my favorites:

• Naoko Fairy Wrasse
• Flame Wrasse (extremely expensive)
• Moyeri Leopard wrasse
  • Any large leopard wrasse will work too (they are extremely slow growers so you'd want to buy a larger one)
• Vrolik. Melanarus, Christmas Wrasse

If you're looking for some other kind of fish to be the "show stopper" here are some ideas:

• Blue Spot Jawfish
• Dwarf Angelfish
  • Flame
  • Coral Beauty
• Midas Blenny
• Marine Betta (if you get a small one, I've been told by my local experts that they are very peaceful. Large ones may harm small other fish, but in a FOWLR you'll be fine)

 

[Helms Reef]

I am a wrasse lover, so here are some of my favorites:

• Naoko Fairy Wrasse
• Flame Wrasse (extremely expensive)
• Moyeri Leopard wrasse
  • Any large leopard wrasse will work too (they are extremely slow growers so you'd want to buy a larger one)
• Vrolik. Melanarus, Christmas Wrasse

If you're looking for some other kind of fish to be the "show stopper" here are some ideas:

• Blue Spot Jawfish
• Dwarf Angelfish
  • Flame
  • Coral Beauty
• Midas Blenny
• Marine Betta (if you get a small one, I've been told by my local experts that they are very peaceful. Large ones may harm small other fish, but in a FOWLR you'll be fine)

Thanks, very informative. I was wanting a Flame angel or Coral but am worried about aggression.

 

[Helms Reef]

Mandarin dragonet

I've read they are hard to keep?

 

[EvanDeVita]

Thanks, very informative. I was wanting a Flame angel or Coral but am worried about aggression.

Just add it last. You should worry more about the flame angel, but your tank has plenty of line of sight blocks so you should be fine.

 

[EvanDeVita]

I've read they are hard to keep?

Kinda. They need a crap ton of copepods to eat so you need to have a tank with a huge population of pods. They'll survive on their own if this is the case.
They are also easily picked on because of how docile and slow they are, but I've personally never seen one get attacked.

 

[Jekyl]

I've read they are hard to keep?

How old is your tank? They are easy as long as there are copepods. Just get some when you get the mandarin and add some again in 6 months.

 

[BigAquaBob]

I finally have a bunch of copepods. Freaked me out when I saw them crawling all over the sand.

 

[squidarcher]

Wrasse! Any small goby is great too, same with basslets! A dwarf angel is good too.

 

[Helms Reef]

Just to revisit. I have a pair of clowns, long nose hawk and a fire hawk. Fire hawk was added last and seems to be the tank boss. No nipping but a bit of chasing sometimes. I'm thinking of adding a Coral Beauty in the future as the last fish. Will the Fire hawk calm down a bit? Also, will the CB cause any issues? I'm also going to add a bit more rock if I add another fish.

 

[EvanDeVita]

Just to revisit. I have a pair of clowns, long nose hawk and a fire hawk. Fire hawk was added last and seems to be the tank boss. No nipping but a bit of chasing sometimes. I'm thinking of adding a Coral Beauty in the future as the last fish. Will the Fire hawk calm down a bit? Also, will the CB cause any issues? I'm also going to add a bit more rock if I add another fish.

You should be fine. The Flame Hawk may be aggressive, but I don't really see it being a major threat. Getting a CB that's bigger than the hawkfish might help.